Medway Liberal Democrats were heartened that our call - which we first proposed in October 2021 - for the council to remove fossil fuel investments from the council's pension portfolio was finally debated on Thursday 21st April.
Today (22 April) is Earth Day, a time when each of us is asked to take stock on how they can do their part to tackle the climate emergency facing our planet. Yet there is only so much an individual can do, especially when the major contributions to Medway's carbon emissions are out of their control. A person cannot determine what kind housing is built, the kind of public transport is used or how their homes are powered. Medway Council may only contribute directly to a small percentage of Medway's carbon emissions, but they have the powers to help reduce over 30% those emissions. Therefore if we are going to meet our 2050 net zero target, we are going to need new ambitious policies.
Local Liberal Democrat campaigner Alan Wells, has welcomed the return of lighting to a public footpath in Frindsbury. In a bid to make the streets lights safer, a campaign was started last winter to switch them back on, the lights have been out for more than a year.
In these challenging times where energy prices and the cost of living is rising for Medway Residents, only around 180 families in Medway have been supported to better insulate their homes under the government's flagship Green Homes Grant scheme, new figures have revealed. The scheme was meant to help people upgrade their homes to net-zero standards and cut their energy bills through fitting better insulation or heat pumps, but was scrapped early last year after just six months. However, figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats show how the scheme has failed families in the local area.
Medway Liberal Democrats are calling on Medway Council to apply for new powers to install safe 'School Streets' outside certain local schools - including Luton Primary School.
Responding to the leaked news that Government planned to ditch banning conversion therapy and its almost immediate partial U-turn, Paul O'Neill, Diversity Officer for Medway Liberal Democrats said: "Once again the Conservative Government has shown its lack of interest and understanding on the issues impacting LGBT+ people through its unwillingness to end the dangerous and abusive practice of conversion therapy, only instigating a partial U-turn when they realised the extent of the public and MP support for the ban. However, the fact that the Conservatives have refused to ban the practice in relation to trans people is appalling and further evidence that the Government sees trans people as second-class citizens."
